The Shinobi and the Snowbird
by AnimePirate223
Summary: When Kakashi Hatake gets lost in the land of snow, he also finds a few other things...


First chapter of a new story! YAYYY! This is my first attempt at writing an OC into a Naruto fanfic, as well as my first KakashiXOC pairing ever… Anyway, thanks for reading this- I really hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto. lol

And yes, if you're wondering, the main OC's nameplay is intentional- Myuki means 'Beautiful snow', which I thought would be perfect for a land of Snow character! :D

Oh, by the way, for those of you who read Lost!, I'm SO sorry it hasn't been updated yet.. I promise it will, really soon! Okay, sorry about this overly long, pointless note… on with the story!

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The freezing wind howled around the sparse trees and over the dunes of deep, blindingly white snow. A lone figure stumbled along, his white cape both blending into the snow and standing out against the cloudy gray sky. Each of his steps was a battle with the vicious, freezing wind. He squinted into the distance, ignoring the wet flakes of snow stinging the parts of his face not covered by his mask, struggling to see the path ahead.

One hand clutched at his side, trying to stop the stinging of the deep gash that had been wrapped with tattered cloth, a makeshift bandage. He plodded along, suddenly staggering forward and collapsing on his hands and knees. How could he have been so stupid? He was sure they could get home before the blizzard hit- but he had been dead wrong. Now, he had been separated from his students, wandering the freezing, ice-covered Land of Snow for days, trying to find them.

He remained crouched in the snow, his chest heaving with each heavy, ragged breath, trying to gather the strength to stand. The wind continued relentlessly, tugging at his clothes, creeping under his drenched cloak. With a deep breath, he forced himself to his feet, wobbling with sheer exhaustion. He took a step, then another, wanting nothing more than to lie down in the snow and give up…. But he couldn't. He had to find them, had to make sure they were all right….

He pushed his soaked silver hair out of his eyes, and struggling to take another step in the knee-high drifts, forged on. Collapsing yet again, this time on his side, he struggled for a few moments, trying to push himself up, but failing. He lay, gasping, in the snow, the icy flakes stinging his hands and face, soaking into his already-drenched clothes and cloak. 'Naruto… Sakura… I'm sorry.', he thought as his eyes fluttered shut.

Not too long later, two heavily-cloaked figures appeared from the distance, walking down the same path. Unlike the one before them, they were dressed for the weather in heavy clothes, fur-lined boots, and several layers of cloaks. They navigated the snow easily and quickly, stepping through the drifts with surprising speed. As they approached, the smaller figure, a raven-haired woman, raised one gloved hand and pointed to the oddly-shaped lump in the snow.

"What's that?" She asked her companion, her blue eyes wide. "It's a snowdrift." the tall, blonde man muttered, tugging his hood up, barely glancing at the lump. She shook her head quickly, her hood rustling. "That's not a snowdrift!" She insisted. "I grew up here, surrounded by them- I think I know what a snowdrift looks like! Come on!" She dashed ahead, running toward whatever it was that had caught her attention, leaving him to catch up.

When he did, she was standing over the lump, reaching down to brush some of the snow away. "Stop it… it's nothing." He glanced disdainfully at the lump that was delaying them, then continued. "Look, Myuki, it's just a-" He suddenly stopped short, the toe of his fur-lined boot coming into contact with something as he prodded the drift. "See?" Myuki smirked, pushing her black bangs out of her eyes and kneeling, brushing the snow away from the shape with her glove.

She suddenly gasped, the smirk gone from her face, and bent forward. "It's a shinobi!" Removing her glove, she pressed two fingers to his ice-cold wrist, checking for a pulse. "He's alive- barely." she said, struggling to lift the limp form from the snow. "Come on, help me, Ryu." Her companion shook his head forcefully. "No. Leave him there. Let's go." Ignoring her shocked expression, he continued. "He's half-dead already- I doubt even you could save him, Myuki…. And anyway, look- he isn't even one of our ninja- he's Kohona."

Ryu brushed some of the snow away from the stranger and pushed his wet hair back, pointing to the village symbol engraved into his hiti-ate. "No! I know I can help him." She snapped. Ryu sighed, recognizing the set of her jaw and the stubborn look in her eyes. "And just because he's not one of us doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be saved!"

"You don't know that! Maybe he doesn't! For all we know, he could be a missing-nin, or a murderer!" he retorted. She set the unconscious stranger gently down and spun towards Ryu, her blue eyes smoldering, her cheeks flushed. "Just stop it! I don't care what you say, I'm going to help him!" She gritted her teeth and struggled to pick up the fallen ninja. Failing, she let out an exasperated sigh and turned back to her blonde companion, her eyes pleading.

"Ryu," she began, her tone softer, "Just answer this question. Where would you be right now if I hadn't done the same for you three years ago?" Ryu neither answered her question, nor met her eyes. Instead, he studied his boots for a few long moments. Finally, heaving a deep sigh, he stooped and picked up the limp, cold figure. "Oh, all right." he muttered grudgingly, frowning. "Just don't expect me to be upset when he dies."

As the three continued on, Myuki laughed softly. Ryu was wrong. This stranger wouldn't die… she wouldn't let him. Something about him had caught her attention, tugged at her already-gentle heart. She'd make sure he survived. A smile on her lips, she, Ryu, and the mysterious stranger slowly faded into the distance, hidden by the falling snow.


End file.
